PLANS for a £100m retirement development which could create hundreds of jobs have been unveiled.

Maher Investments is planning to submit an outline planning application for a retirement village at Mount Leven Farm, Leven Bank Road, Yarm and is to hold a pre-application public consultation next week.

The plans are for 450 properties, mainly one and two-bedroom bunglows, for over-50s, as well as a care home with 24 hour dementia and nursing care.

As part of the proposal, Maher Investment's Javid Majid, who owns the land, is planning to hand over 60 acres to the public as a country park and nature reserve.

He will also offer the former Derek Campbell site on Yarm High Street, worth around £1.5m, as additional parking for the town.

The Mount Leven Farm site will have facilities including a cafe, bar and restaurant, a library, shop, doctors, gym, hair salon and communal lounges.

There will also be an IT room, a function room, swimming pool, tennis and badminton courts and a bowling green, and allotments.

The planning proposal also says coaches will be available for residents to go on shopping trips and other outings.

The properties will be built to Level Five of the Code of Sustainable Homes and prices will range from £140,000 to £250,000.

Ten per cent of the develoment will be affordable homes for people working at the development such as care staff, gardeners, cleaners and estate maintenance staff.

If the scheme goes ahead, it will be the first community of its kind on this scale in the UK and will act as a blueprint for Maher Developments and its Middle East investors, who hope to create another 20 similar schemes across the country.

* A drop-in consultation event is being held on Wednesday 6th June at Mount Leven Farm from 5pm to 7pm to give the community the opportunity to view the plans, make comments and to allow people living nearby the opportunity to influence the character of the development.